Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet Volt

*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.

Despite the Volt’s eco-minded image, it’s actually gratifying to drive—just don’t expect mind-blowing acceleration. For 2016, the Volt has an all-new powertrain that offers increased all-electric range, greater efficiency, and better acceleration. Its all-electric range is an estimated 50 miles; after that, its gas engine kicks in to recharge the battery and keep you going. It may now have five seats, but the extra seat is too small for most. Charge times are 13 hours on 120V and 4.5 on 240V. Official Photos and Info - 2016 Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid

2016 Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid

50-mile EV range, new drivetrain, fresh styling.

According to General Motors, the 2016 Volt is “the most customer-inspired car to be launched in recent history.” While there’s basically no way to verify that claim, it’s no secret that Chevrolet kept in close contact with owners of the current Volt during its production run. When asked how to improve the upcoming 2016 Volt, the owners responded with an overwhelmingly universal reply: extend the EV range. While this was hardly a revelation, customers’ second request—that Chevy make the car more fun to drive—took the maker by surprise. And so Chevrolet tried to do both.

Power Trio

Called the Voltec Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) propulsion system by GM, the Volt’s powertrain ties together a battery pack, the drive unit, and a range-extending engine, as well as myriad control electronics. Volt chief engineer Andrew Farah describes the process of engineering the setup as an “exercise in energy management.”

To provide the powertrain with a healthy source of current, GM revised the battery-cell chemistry, increasing the storage capacity by 20 percent while simultaneously reducing the total number of cells from 288 to 192 and shedding about 22 pounds of weight. The battery is now capable of storing 18.4 kWh (versus 17.1 kWh previously), and its discharge rate has also increased slightly to 120 kW from 110 kW, which helps improve performance. Still assembled into a T-shaped pack, the cells are now positioned lower in the unit, which contributes to a lower center of gravity for the car. The battery advancements enable the new Volt’s claimed 50-mile EV range, a significant improvement over the current car’s 35-mile rating. Overall range while using the onboard gasoline engine is projected to be 400 miles, and GM is quoting an anticipated MPGe figure of 102.

While horsepower remains the same at 149, torque increases by 21 lb-ft to 294. Designed with improved noise, vibration, and harshness characteristics in mind (reduced NVH was third on the customer wish list), the new motor-generators are closer in size in contrast to the previous car’s large-motor/small-motor configuration. We’re told that the use of rare-earth elements has been almost eliminated in the motors’ construction—one motor uses none of the materials, the other only a very small amount—and that this saves costs and reduces reliance on outside suppliers. GM says the motors are capable of operating either in tandem or individually in the interest of optimizing performance and efficiency. Power flow is managed by the Traction Power Inverter Module (TPIM), which has been integrated into the drive unit to reduce mass and size and to improve powertrain efficiency. GM says the two-motor setup is 12-percent more efficient than before and that nearly every component in the system is new or overhauled.

Top: 2016 Chevrolet Volt. Bottom: 2013 Chevrolet Volt.

The motors operate together more frequently than before, sharing the load in more driving scenarios and during both EV and extended-range situations. A single motor often can supply power for low-speed situations—such as urban driving—but both motors can be engaged for heavy-load or higher-speed demands such as merging or passing at highway speeds. Using both also helps acceleration, with Chevrolet claiming that the 2016 Volt dashes to 30 mph in 2.6 seconds and to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds, 0.5- and 0.4-second better than the best times we achieved in the outgoing car.

New Engine, Four Holes

The third member of the Volt’s efficient propulsion trio is the range-extending internal-combustion four-cylinder engine­. Note the description—rarely will a member of the Volt team refer to it simply as “the engine.” Replacing the previous 1.4-liter four-cylinder unit is a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four producing 101 horsepower. The first domestic application of GM’s new Ecotec engine family, the 1.5-liter counts direct injection, a variable-displacement oil pump, cooled exhaust-gas recirculation, and wideband cam phasers among its bag of efficiency tricks. Despite running a comparatively high 12.5:1 compression ratio, this Volt will happily sip regular gas, whereas the previous Volt demanded premium. Motivated by the gasoline engine alone, the 2016 Volt, GM says, is capable of returning 41 mpg on the EPA’s combined cycle.

Four driving modes are available: Normal, Sport (more aggressive accelerator and power-delivery characteristics), Mountain (the engine and battery combine power to traverse steep grades), and Hold (forces the Volt into extended-range operation for longer-distance highway driving and to maintain battery charge). Those bent on getting back a maximum return on their momentum investment will be thrilled with the new Regen on Demand feature. Activated by a steering-wheel-mounted paddle, it increases the energy-regeneration function, recapturing excess energy on deceleration that otherwise requires an application of the brake pedal.

Normalized Aesthetics

The exterior maintains the same four-door, “sedan with a hatchback” look, but it’s been trimmed, toned, and tamed from stem to stern. (Making the new Volt “less quirky” was the fourth-most-popular customer suggestion.) Chevy calls it a clean-sheet design, but there are still vestiges of the previous-generation Volt in the front fascia (as well as perhaps some Acura ILX). Both the hood and hatch panels are made of aluminum, and energy-efficient LEDs are employed for all exterior illumination. Chevy says the sculpted and toned sheetmetal was inspired by endurance athletes; the Honda Civics perhaps driven by those athletes might have played a role, too. Painted 17-inch wheels sit at all corners on the base car, while uplevel models get machined wheels with a split-Y design and silver-painted insets. From the headlamps that flow into the front fenders to the more-traditional rear hatch—we already kind of miss the funky, see-through panel out back—and the aero-optimized taillamps that form part of the spoiler, Chevrolet’s design team definitely succeeded on the “less quirky” initiative.

The interior also trades in some of its previous quirky charm for a touch of traditional design. The cabin is issued in one of three color choices: jet black, ash gray, and jet black and brandy. Leather seating comes in a Volt-exclusive brandy with jet-black accents. Gone are the Euro-appliance capacitive center-stack controls, replaced by more conventional switchgear including separate climate-control knobs and buttons. An eight-inch touch screen in the center of the instrument panel controls the Chevrolet MyLink system and other apps (GM says the Volt’s next-gen infotainment system will be revealed at the New York auto show), while an eight-inch configurable color display sits in front of the driver. Wireless smartphone charging and a heated steering wheel are optional. A hump-straddling bench seat has replaced the rear buckets; this move ostensibly increases passenger capacity by one person to five, but the middle position isn’t recommended for, well, any trips. Outboard-rear-seat heaters are available for the first time, however.

It’s Time for Juice

GM says more than half of all Volt owners charge primarily on standard 120-volt current (attention conspiracy theorists: we learned that there are a number of GM positions whose sole job is to monitor the charging habits of Volt owners via OnStar), so that task has been made easier with a redesigned cord set that now resides on the left side of the cargo area above the floor.

Charge time with a 12-amp, 120-volt connection is about 13 hours; a 240-volt circuit reduces that time to about 4.5 hours. Although the car is not equipped with the ability to utilize level 3 charging—a.k.a. DC fast charging—Chevy engineers told us, “never say never.” GPS location-based charging will now let owners set their charging preferences for their “home” location, and the vehicle will automatically adjust to those settings based on the GPS data. In other words, when you hook up to a powerful public charger, you won’t have to scroll through menus to deactivate the previously scheduled charging preferences that were optimized or delayed to make the most of low nighttime utility rates or to accommodate low-amperage home settings. An available illuminated charge port makes it easier to plug in after dark.

With the new Volt, Chevrolet came through on the extended EV range that the owners clamored for, while also delivering on a number of other hopes and desires. It won’t be until we get a chance to drive the car that we’ll know how they came out on the fun-to-drive factor, though—but it’s a test we’re eager to undertake.